Mechanism for making trolley-tracks.



No. 684,865 Y Patnted Oct. 22, mm. F. J. RICHARD.

MECHANISM FOR MAKING TBOLLEY TRACKS.

(Application filed Sept. 18, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Witnesses.-

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIcE.

FRED J. RICHARD, OF BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY B. NEWHALL, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

MECHANISM FOR MAKING TROLLEY-TRACKS.

$PEGIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,865, dated October 22, 1901.

Application filed September 18, 1900. Serial No. 30,396. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED J. RICHARD, residing at Bloomsburg, county of Columbia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mechanism for Making Trolley-Tracks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the trolley-track of a peculiar shape herein described and illustrated, and known on the market as the Coburn track, and tracks of substantially the same shape, may be manufactured out of a strip of metal by a single operation instead of by the numerous operations now required in the processby which said track is now made.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described.

Figure 1 is a side view in section of the table, block, core, and supports for said core, constituting my mechanism. Fig. 2 is a top view of said mechanism,the block being shown in section. Fig. 3 is an end view of the block, showing the core in cross-section at the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an end view of the bridge and bar supporting the core, taken at the line 4 4 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow, the table being shown in section. Fig. 5 is a view of a section of the completed trolley-track.

In the drawings, A represents a table of suitable shape and material.

B is the block through which is pierced a tapering hole, the outer end of which corresponds in contour to the outside of the completed trolley-track.

O is the core, which is of substantially the same contour as the inner contour of the finished track. (Shown in Fig. 5.) The core is preferably guided on 'a rod, as D, which in turn is adjustably and removably supported on the bridges E and F.

G is the sheet of metal from which the track is formed.

H is the finished track, which is here shown in an inverted position. form and has parallel vertical sides h h, the lower edges h h of which are bent inward It is tubular in and upward, thereby forming carrier-roller grooves therein and leaving a slot between said edges. The exact form, however, may be slightly varied. The core 0 is shaped to correspond with the interior of the track H and has upon its upper surface two projections 0 0, corresponding to the grooves of the track. on the inside, as shownat b and b. The portion of the block which corresponds with the upper portion of the core upon which are the projections c c has a projection o The lower portion b of the opening of the block prefererably tapers gradually from the inside to the outside of the block. The upper part of the opening I), however, preferably tapers to a point about half-way through the block.. The opening in the block B at its outersurface is of the same shape as the core 0, but is larger track.

The track is made with my apparatus in the following manner: The end of asheet of metal G of suitable width to be shaped into the finished track is bent into a point which can be projected through the hole in the block B and grasped by suitable tongs or otherfmechanism by which the sheet can be pulled through said hole. The core 0 is then adjusted and thrust inside of the sheet G and the hole in the block. As the sheet G is pulled by the tongs or other means through the hole D the core 0 is drawn into its place in thehole. The core is made slightly tapering, so that it cannot be drawn inleriorly through the hole. As the metal sheet is thus drawn between the core and the walls of the block B it is forced to accommodate itself to the opening betwen the core and the walls of the block, and thus assumes the shape shown in Fig. 5, or a shape substantially the same, asmay be desired. Heretofore it has been customary to form said track by pressing a sheet of metal into shape by suitable dies. Owing to the shape of the track this has required several sets of dies and several separate operations. Owing to the peculiar shape of my block and core I am enabled successfully to make this track in a single operation;

As eachstrip of metal is drawn through the apparatus it is necessary to remove the core The-opening in the block B is flared .than said core by the thickness of the finished In practice this occurs about once a minute.

block and core of the particular construction here shown there is danger of the core being inserted in the block in a wrong position-as, for example, with the projections c c at the bottom instead of at the top of the hole in the block-and. such mistake may obviously re suit in the destruction of the block or of the core. To prevent the possibility of such mistake, I attach my core to a rod D, which is adjustably and removably supported on the bridges E and F. These bridges are so arranged in connection with the table that the metal sheet G may pass along the table and under the bridges. Any suitable form of bridge may be used and of course one bridge may be used instead of two. I prefer two, however, in that it assures a more perfect alinement of the rod D. In order that the rod D and the core 0 may be easily removed from the hole of the block and yet the core 0 may not be turned in either direction, 1 pass the rod D through a sliding block e, in which it is securely held and which is free to slide back and forth in suitable tracks on the bridge E. The rod also passes through a hole fin the bridge F, through which it is free to move back and forth. By sliding the block 6 back and forth the core 0 can be withdrawn from and inserted in the hole of the block B. By placing upon the outer end of the rod D a suitable step d, which is arranged to come in contact with the outer face of the bridge F, the forward motion of the core 0 can be definitely limited. I am aware that my rod and bridges can be used for supporting differentshaped cores in connection with blocks of other shapes, especially where such cores and the holes in said blocks are irregular in contour.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to cover by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device for drawing sheet metal a block having a shaped hole therethrough, a core cooperating with said block to form a die, a rod secured to said core, means adjustable with respect to said rod arranged to allow the reciprocation of said rod and means to prevent the rotation of the same.

2. In a device for drawing sheet metal, a table, a block secured to said table having a shaped hole therein, a core cooperating with said block to form a die, a rod secured to said core, a bridge-piece secured to said table, guideways formed in said bridge-piece, a rest arranged to reciprocate in said guideways and'secured to said rod.

3. In a device for drawing sheet metal, a table, a block secured thereto having a shaped hole therein, a bridge secured to said table, guideways formed in said bridge, a stop secured to said table, a core cooperating with said block to form a die, a rod secured to said core, a rest sliding in the guideways in said bridge and secured to said rod and an adjustable abutment on said rod coactin g with said step to limit the longitudinal movement of said rod.

4. In a device for drawing sheet metal a block 13 having a tapered opening therein and having a projection Z1 extending into said opening and a core 0 having a substantially fiat bottom, parallel sides at right angles to said bottom and projections cc on the top, said core being of substantially the same contour as the inner surface of the opening in the block, but of less area in cross-section.

5. In a device for drawing sheet metal, a block having a shaped hole therein, a core cooperating with said block to form a die, a rod secured to said core, guideways extending longitudinally of said rod secured to said block, a rest sliding in said guideways and secured to said rod and an adjustable abutment on said rod coactin g with a stop secured to said block to limit the longitudinal movement of said rod.

6. In a device for drawing sheet metal, a block having a shaped hole therein, a core cooperating with the said block to form a die, a rod secured to said core, guideways extending along said rod and secured to said block, a rest arranged to reciprocate in said guideways and secured to said rod and means to limit the extent of the reciprocation of said rod.

7. In a device for drawing sheet metal, a block having a shaped hole therein, a core cooperating with said block to form a die, a rod secured to said core, guideways extending along said rod and secured to said block, and a rest secured to said rod and arranged to reciprocate in said guideways.

FRED J. RICHARD.

\Vitnesses:

J. O. BUTTER, J r., HARRY M. FINE. 

